How to help a sick stray dog with a cough? Is giving medicine safe?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Shasta!! Kennel cough can be frustrating for you and Shasta! It could be caused by many organisms: Bordatella, viruses, other bacteria and mycoplasmas. It is usually self limiting in a healthy dog and may take 2 weeks. Over the counter human medications are not recommended for pets to suppress the cough. I recommend calling your Vet in the morning and see if they will prescribe cough tabs with out seeing him. A lot of the type Vets put them on a course of antibiotics, but would likely want to see him first. I wish you and Shasta the best of luck!

Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to give the dose information for any drug, including OTC drugs, without seeing the animal in person first. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for your dog. You need to ask Oscar's vet if you can give him this, and the vet will give you the dose. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Unfortunately you didn't provide your dogs weight so we can not give you doses. I recommend calling your Vet when they re-open. In the US it is not legal to prescribe medications with out a label and the medications not reconstituted (made in to a liquid from the powder form). Are you in the US? Also in the US we do not prescribe Acetominophen ( https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/tylenol/ ). I recommend calling your Vet regarding that medication as we can't recommend giving it to dogs. I am sorry but if you want to re-post with Ringa's weight we can probably help with the Amoxicillin).

I would not recommend giving him anything over the counter for the cough as it's probably not going to help much and human medications are generally not safe for dogs. if the cough becomes severe he will need antibiotic and strong anti coughing meds, if that happens take him to the vet in order to get the medications, otherwise the condition should resolve within a couple weeks without treatment.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your dog is coughing, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian for an exam and chest x-rays at their next available appointment. She could have pneumonia, asthma, or something such as heart disease that is causing her to cough. It is important to determine why a dog is coughing before suppressing the cough, as this could worsen something like pneumonia or heart disease, which require medications such as antibiotics or diuretics, respectively. Please do not give anything like cough syrup to her, as these can contain chemicals that are toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

There is no harm in giving her honey, though it may not help at all. When dogs are in heart failure, or have a history or congestive heart failure or heart disease, usually a cough is due to one of 2 causes-- 1) fluid in the lungs OR 2) the enlargement of the heart pushes on the on the large airways, causing a "tickle" type cough response. Take her in to see your vet. It would be best to have some chest X-rays taken to see if she is in congestive heart failure, and to monitor the size of the heart. If she is NOT in congestive heart failure, your vet may prescribe a cough suppressant medication to help ease the cough. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Preeto should be examined by your veterinarian. Chest x-rays should be done to assess his heart and lungs. A heartworm test should be done to rule out heartworm disease. It is never recommended to medicate a pet without the advice of a veterinarian. Inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to resistant bacteria and may complicate the underlying condition.